Swedish #WalkToPalestine Activist Arrives in Germany

Over a month after he started his #WalkToPalestine, Benjamin Ladra has arrived in Germany and is making his way towards its capital, Berlin.

Whilst tired from walking for over 42 days and having to endure very wet weather conditions since he left Sweden, Ladra has met many people who have expressed support for him during his travels including many Palestinians.

“Yesterday there was a guy building a pizzeria who was from Palestine, he only spoke Arabic but we managed to communicate somehow and he offered me a coffee.”

He has also been given numerous clothes by well-wishers, including a specially designed t-shirt sent by a supporter in Sweden, which features the #WalkToPalestine logo and the resistance cartoon symbol Handala.

Ladra has also come across people who support Israel, especially in Germany, but most have refused to engage with him at length about the situation of the Palestinian people.

“People approach, say something and then they flee, they don’t stay. They come and say ‘I don’t like Palestine’ and then they leave, and you’re like ‘OK!’.”

Having journeyed from Sweden, he has noted some differences in the way in which his trip is perceived by the public.

I think in Germany they are very much pro-Israeli, rather than pro-Palestine, because of some sort of collective guilt over the Holocaust that Israel managed to play to their favor.

“And if they really were sad about the Holocaust, they would try to see the situation in Palestine and not be so for genocide and apartheid. But I don’t think the public here is very informed about the situation.”

In Berlin, he will be meeting some supporters who have arranged for him to visit other pro-Palestinian activists and tour the city.

“I tend to stay as long as I have nice things to do and people to meet. But when I don’t have anything to do anymore and I feel ready to go, I leave.”

Ladra chose to make the journey to mark the 100-year anniversary since the signing of the Balfour Declaration which provided international legitimacy for the Zionist project which led to the subsequent creation of the State of Israel, and the displacement of nearly 1,000,000 Palestinians in 1948.

I hope that this walk helps in informing people of the realities faced by the Palestinian people.
My hope is that BDS will successfully put pressure on Israel to engage in a peace process that gives legal rights to Palestinians living in Israel, and provides the Palestinians with their long promised homeland. I fully realize that the Palestinian people will never get back what they have lost, but at least this would give them hope for a future for themselves and a better life for their children.

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